Spring-hinge.



1Mo. 66|,346- Pawnmd Nov. IMU.

FW. LINBULIM.

SPRING HINGE.

`Applicziox'x led May 25, 1900.) (No Motief.)

mi EEB- @terrien @retries llairnn'r llllrrion.

SPRING-f' lSiECIFICiJllI/ON forming part of Letters Patent No. 661,346, dated November 6, 1900.,

Application mainly 25,1900.

To (all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, MARVTN LINCOLN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mah' den, in the county oi Illiddlescx and Stato of Illassaohusetts, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Spring-Hinges; and I Ado hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates in general to that class of hinges which are provided with means for restoring to its normal position tbe door or other swinging device hung thereby, and more particularly to spring-hinges which are adapted to permit the door to swing either way from a central point and to restore the door to that point when left free.

To this end my invention consists in the construction and combination ot' parts forming a spring-hinge hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claim, reference being had to the accompany- Y body members 9, as shown in Fig. II.

Figure I represents in side elevation a hinge according to my invention adapted to serve as a hanger fora door, gate, or Window. Fig. II is n horizontal section of the same at. line 5c. Fig. III is an end View of a spring member of such a hinge. Fig. IV is an end view of a modiiication of such a hinge.

Numeral 5 represents the spring members which are the main characteristic of my in vention in this.` hinge. They are made of elastic sh eet or strap material, such as springsteel or spring-brass, and in some cases panchment is sufficiently strong and elastic, or a mere wire might answer the purpose. In any case this spring member is to be formed in .Z shape, the body 6 being an ogee curve Whose two reverse elements 7 and 8 are each a quarter of a circle in order that the spring may iit normally upon the two semicylindrieal These body members 9 may be made of hard Wood or any other suitable material and long enough to hold as vmany spring members 5 a's may be required. l5 represents mere bands or fern rules around the ends ot' the body members 9. Each of the spring members when set one end up will face to .the right, and When the other end up it will face to the left, and when two or more of them are applied alterhinge and a spring.

natin g right and left upon two body members Serial No. 17,994. lNo nimlel.

9 and arc secured lhoreto in any suitable manner, as by screws 10, they form therewith a commercial hinge, as shown in Figs I and Il, for a door or for other purposes. In the modification shown in Fig. IV the body portions 9 are substituted by semicylindrical members 1l, formed of sheet metal, over the edges i2 ol which the spring members 5 are hooked. For convenience of expression I use the Word door to represent anything that is to be hung to swing upon these hinges. In this case'the body portion 13 of the door and let of the casing may be made semicylindrical to fit solidly into the trough-shaped members 11, and the latter may be permanently secured thereto by means of screws 15. This hinge was originally designed by me for use in arti fieial limbs, particularly for the ankle-joint, where it is desirable that the foot should assume a normal position about at right angles to the line of the tibia whenever the persons weight is relieved from the heel or from the ball of the foot. It forms a rolling or rocking bearing between the parts which it joins when one Works upon the other aud serves as a shoe that prevents such parts from becoming Worn in use. The rolling contact avoids attrition and prevents wear at the joint. Then made in due proportions forsuch service, it is particularly well adapted for those rocking-chairs that have the chair mounted to rock on a stationary base. For screen-doors, for doors across passages, and for gates that require to be swung open both ways this spring-hinge is peculiarly applicable, and there are many other situations to which its simplicity adapts it, both as a If many springs of Wire shaped to the form shown in Fig. III were associated like the members 5 in Fig. I, the same object would be accomplished, though the hinge would not be as rigid against longitudinal pressure. In the normal position of the door these springs are inert or unetrained; but each spring resists with both its leaves any movement of the door to swing either way, so that one pair of springs oiers the resilience of four spring-leaves to return the door to place. For heavy doors any required number and thickness of springs may be used, evenl to extending the hinges the whole length of the door. In the drawipgs roo In spring-hinges, two body portions and.

two or more straps joining them; the adjacent faces of vthe body portions being cylindrical and parallel and the straps being springs tempered in ogee shape to t upon the said cylindrical surfaces, and means for attaching the straps to the body portions at points beyond their contact-surfaces, sub- 15 stantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARVIN LINCOLN. Witnesses:

FLOYD E. DAVIS, M. E. WooD. 

